Great Adventure - July 4 - Long, Descriptive, Outstanding Value Item

Richie Reflux

Monday, July 7, 2008 2:36 AM

This is a very long trip report. I will try to do this in the spirit that is now Six Flags. When you see the quotes, pretend you are hearing the guy in the ads using his pitch and phrasing. In the middle of my report I mention the best value I ever had at Great Adventure.

Weather: Good for ‘Folks like us.’ Some heavy showers on the way up and overcast all day. Light showers in the evening

“Weather - Not Oppressive - Lower Crowds - FIVE FLAGS!”

Traffic: I take the L-O-N-G Way to Great Adventure from Long Island. I know most people take the Turnpike to 105 to 537. I leave an extra hour early so I can take Route 9 to 35 (To look for a special unrelated place) back to 9 and then 537.

“Traffic Lite - Easy Pass Good - Bridge Prices High - THREE FLAGS!”

I stopped at Wawa for a breakfast sandwich to go. (I had to go too).

“Good Tuna - Little Wait - Dirty Bathroom, THREE FLAGS”

Note: On the way down I was listening to WXTU, the Philadelphia country station. Usually, they would play very contemporary country songs, which I like, though I equally like the classics. Today in the name of July 4th, I heard “In America,” by Charlie Daniels, ”Only In America,” by Brooks and Dunn and Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag.” This was in the same break. It not only sounded good, it had the desired effect of making me feel patriotic. (My part of Long Island can’t get any regular country stations, so this was a special touch).

“Good Tunes - Wide Playlist - Johnny Cash - 6 FLAGS - YA HOO!”

Parking: When I got to the lot, I was told by the guy at the gate “They are expecting very big crowds today, do you want to upgrade to preferred parking?” Wow, the up-selling started before I go in. “No thanks.” I got a coupon for yogurt which I will never use. I pulled up two rows back from my usual sport near the “S” of the Superman ride.

I used a comp ticket from my radio station friends for admission, but I still was interested in the barbecue. All you could eat from 4PM - 7 PM for 15 bucks for adults and 10 for kids. I got the e-mail for it, but the e-mail said you had to order the tickets on line in order to get the barbecue deal. That wasn’t the case, as 6 Flags will sell you anything they have. They gladly took my money and gave me a paper receipt for admission.

Speaking of admission, they no longer offer a one day ticket. The same price will get you in 6 times. A few times in the park I overheard season-ticket folks complaining that they would have rather have has that option instead of paying more for a pass.

It was hard to tell about the crowds, but I opted for a gold bot. I waited on line 20 minutes to get it. The new version is smaller and easier to stow away in my pocket. I also noticed that rides that were never included were now part of the deal such as, Big Wheel, Twister and of course the new Batman Coaster.” I figure if I’m not paying to get in, I might was well spring for a nice, though expensive perk. Later in the day I realized the parking lot would be about half full.

NOTE: If you don’t ask about the Frequent Bot User punch card, they will NOT offer it to you. This year they are dated, so it has to say 2008 when you redeem it. Rent 4 times and get the 5th time free. (Begin Soap Opera Music) I am one of these people who would love to see something like this at Cedar Point. When I go to a park, the one thing I don’t like are excessive crowds. To have full time easy access to lines is worth it to me. Is it wrong? This has been debated long and hard over the years. It’s right for me. If it’s legally offered and I can afford it, I will do it. I can’t afford a VIP deal, but today (with my little friend), I felt like Tony Soprano getting his personal table.

Security was EVERYWHERE and most were carrying wrapper snappers or claws on a stick or whatever you call them. Friendly - but firm. Most areas of the park were very clean.

“Good Cops - Good Custodians - FIVE FLAGS!”

Nitro - I figured I would start off with my favorite coaster at the park. Three trains! I took a quick ride in the front and then a one-cheek-sneak mid train. Old faithful! Good crew. There was a plank by the front row divider in the que which was starting to form a gum target. EEeeewwww. Later at night I caught a train that had too much shaking for what it normally very smooth Nitro. I tried it in two places, and both of them were rougher than the other train.

Can someone please tell me why this ride is part of Movietown? There is no correlation between any movie and this ride?

DECEPTION: The park is still playing games. Batman The Ride had three guards on patrol of the que. It will not open until later in the day. Congo Rapids has a sign “This Ride Closes at 9 PM. Medusa or “Ketchup The Ride” has a sign that says it will open at 12 PM. This (to me) is not cool. The park opens at 10:30 (Used to be 10), then all the rides should be up.

“Some Rides Sleeping - Some Go To Bed Early - ZERO FLAGS!”

Dark Knight (MORE DECEPTION): I liked the pre-show. The ride as many has stated is not so great. I had a rough time following the story of the ride. The cars were pumping into the station one-after another and it had a Disney type of loading, but the ride just didn’t do too much. I will most likely do it again when I go with my family.

This ride came at too big a cost....the park is looking for families and this is a family coaster...but they took away the Splash Water Effect (Boat Soaker) the Music Express and the bumper cars...which were all family attractions. With Skull Mountain already on staff, why did they do this? They also took away the Kosher stand (great but expensive dogs) and you can no longer walk around in a circle. The picnic area became a dead end.

“Dumb Coaster - No More Splash - Less Family Rides - Not Kosher - TWO FLAGS!”

SKY RIDE: While I was on this line a section of the line was pulled away from a five minute wait. They were going to open up the second set of cars. The view up there never gets old.

“Great View - Less Line - Private Car - SIX FLAGS!”

Log Flume - The bot saved me about 20 minutes here. I rode in the front with a gentleman and his daughter. Nice, though the trough was bumpy with ugly metal patches. While I like contemporary country music, I miss the instrumental bluegrass tunes they used to play in the western area.

Found out Medusa was closed. DECEPTION: Have you noticed that there seems to be more and more space at Great Adventure dedicated to product solicitation. I saw a large display for some hybrid Ford cars and later in the park a similar space for Jeep, Timeshares and a modeling agency. I looked at the cars, filled out a form and got a card for 5 free music downloads, but not from a place like I-tunes, a lesser known deal.

“Next Time, No Stop, - Too Much Ads - This Not Javits Center - ONE FLAG!”

El Toro - The Test Seat - Should I do it? It might be better than if I just say I didn’t do it. The seat had lights and buttons to release the strap. (One light was missing) I pulled that rascal all the way until the threads were bleeding. CLICK! What? Why? How? Ok....Scan the thing. (Again the bot saved me about 30 minutes. I opted for the front seat.)

“Lose Weight - Still Heavy - Hang In There - OK, You Good Guy - Go Ahead - YOU PASS! - SIX FLAGS!”

El Toro The Ride - As premonitioned by the test seat, I made it. It was tight, but not like two years ago. Going up was fast, and the view of the first hill’s steepness was fantastic. Going down was faster (duh) and much smoother than I thought it would be. When we got to the hill that led into the infield of Rolling Thunder, I was ripped upwards in a way that I have never been before. It actually hurt a little, but that was a heck of lot of upward force. I also think the series of “S” curves on that ride are the best part of the ride. Wow. The dispatch times were a bit slow.

Later in the day - early evening - I went back for a rear seat ride. Some idiot actually lost his shirt on the ride and it landed on the track and they had to stop it and retrieve it. This was followed by another lap of empty trains and another brief delay. (No, not underwear this time).

This stuff will happen more and more as the locker policy is enforced. I try to travel as light as possible. It also means having to hang onto my shoes for Medusa and Batman The Ride. Did this ride ever have OTS restraints? I digress; El Toro is still in fine shape. It is exciting, beautiful and fast. I am glad I am now able to ride it.

Stopped for a piece of fish at the Boardwalk. It was small, greasy, and highly processed. There were a ton of fries with the fish, but they were too salty and undercooked on the inside. Only had a little bit. I ate it in the air-conditioned Teds next door.

Fly Me To The Moon - There has been little discussion on the boards about how SpongeBob is no longer at Great Adventure. Instead, they have a new family-oriented motion ride, which stinks! I mean really stinks. SpongeBob was old already, but he’s still a hit with the kids and the motion to the cartoon was perfect. This was lame and had a dumb ending.

Scream Machine -The mid course breaks almost stops the ride completely. Headbanging was apparent, but not rampant. I didn’t need the bot for this at all. Old Posters of other 6 Flag Rides are now empty. This ride has lost its luster and popularity.

Superman - The bot came in handy for this one and this ride is still very popular. I took a mid train ride. The big loop always gets me on this one, but the rest of the ride is just fun. Though there were a lot of gum droppings on the ground below at the end of the run. Why do people always scream when the ride seats tilt down? This isn’t a new attraction, stop screaming. I also found out I can save a lot of wear and tear on my neck if I stop looking at the track. This ride always ends while another train is still loading. Superman can’t save the day because he’s stuck in traffic.

“Big Loop - Big Fun - Dumb Ending - Still Unique - FOUR FLAGS!”

Ka -Again the bot saved a lot of time here. I love the front seat on Ka and I love to watch the launch of the train ahead of me and the skateboard come back. (No bunnies this time). I timed my last breath before the launch perfectly using the announcement and the train in front of us. When we took off we were ripping...my cheeks were rippling, my lips were shaking, even the little skin tags under my arm pits were shaking back and forth. That ride is about the launch and the brief view from the top. Sheer power.

By the way I learned a valuable lesson. Later on at night, I wanted my first night ride. When I got there I had to wait about 15 minutes for a front row seat. It started to drizzle a bit. A crew member asked for a single rider for the third seat. I let it go. Two minutes later they shut down for good as the rain got a bit steadier.

NOTE: Did you ever see the forms that you can fill out to report a worker who went above and beyond? I took one and filled it out on a ride op who was trying to entertain the crowd during the rain delay. We need to be pro-active in anything we can do to reward those who go above and beyond. We talk a lot about customer service, and we need to be leaders to promote the things we value most. I turned in the form to guest relations on my way out.

Skull Mountain - This time around there is a designated row for "Bot People." When I got there I realized I would have to split up a family of 4 wanting to ride together. I shocked the Ops and everyone in line by standing up and saying, “I don’t want to split up this family. I will get out and wait for the next one.” They thought I was a hero. Again, we have to set a higher example.

Skull Mountain was a bit better than it was last year. There were a few skeleton heads and a pumpkin (probably from last Halloween) and a useless strobe effect at the end of the ride. I also heard a “Booo” as I was clearing the first hill.

Medusa - The girl at the microphone was very cleverly touting that this was the best floorless coaster in the world that is sponsored by Heinz Ketchup. “We even have a bottle up here.” She was very enthusiastic and the crew was good. The ride, even in the front, was a bit shakier than I remembered. I would have loved to have left my shoes on platform and ridden barefoot.

“Reliable Ride - Opens Late - Bang Head - Less Salt - “Four Flags!”

NOTE: I spoke to a guy in charge of the lockers by Medusa. I said if the line is longer than 2 hours and the locker is only good for two hours, what happens to the stuff? “Nothing.” Then why are there so many lockers?” “So people will not leave their stuff on the rides.” “I don’t mean to be rude, but what exactly do you do?” “I answer questions about how to use the lockers and I help people when they don’t know to get their stuff back.” “So technically, people only need one locker since the park doesn’t really throw the stuff out.” “Basically, yeah.”

By the way, employee badges have spaces for six banner stickers. Apparently, they are earned for going above and beyond in different areas. (Friendliness, helpfulness, etc)

“Good Guy - Honest Answers - SIX FLAGS!”

Bar-B-Que - I have never gotten a better value at 6 flags than the 4th of July bar-b-que. For 15 bucks, there was unlimited burgers, franks, fried chicken, salad, potato salad, slaw, fixins, Hershey ice-cream cups, fountain soda, & beans.

When I first walked up to the picnic area, I handed my stub to a host and I was on my way to the large pavilion. It is live an oval bubble of an indoor tennis court, but with arched openings along one side. The main areas had double lines and you didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes to “take whatever you wanted.”

There was no pushing, shoving or complaining. The burgers, though not as thick as Johnny Rockets, were barbequed and kept warm on a heated serving station. The dogs (not kosher) were done the same way. The chicken was better than what Dorney had and the potato salad was very good. The slaw looked oniony and it was. Even though it didn’t say drinks were included (I thought they would get you with that) they were free and take as much as you wanted. Condiments were lettuce, pickles, onions, etc. There were packets of ketchup (droppings from Medusa), mustard, and mayo. The one area which was empty must have been for the tomatoes, which would have made the burger perfect.

Endless lines of picnic tables went throughout the area. Tables were being shared by families of all sorts having a great time. It was very well done and could easily be part of deal which could also include the waterpark. There were fans in the corner areas that were very noisy and uneffective.

While I was there, I decided to take a stroll. Keep in mind I would NEVER enter a restricted area, but I will go wherever the path will allow. I took a tour of the other picnic areas, which were not sealed off, but not used either. (The soda machine worked there too). I was right near an opening that would have led me to the water tower. I didn’t go in or on, but I could have easily done so. I kept thinking about “the kid who had the accident in Georgia” and what he must have been thinking and how a little maturity can go a long way.

I ended up talking to a lone employee who was taking a break and had never been in the picnic area before. She was from the wardrobe department and she told me about her regular job during the year, her work at the park and that she helped to create the costumes for the new parade. She asked me about my thoughts about the park and we spoke about the company’s problems, successes and “perceived value.” She went back to work and I sort of dozed off for a while. It was a nice moment.

Batman The Ride - Again I was thinking about the kid. Part of the que was fenced in and over the line. There was a ride op dripping sweat and hustling so hard that he was nearly running, though he was checking every seat on each train. I applauded his work and told him so. This ride never gets old and it doesn’t let up. It is just too short. Again, I would have liked a barefoot ride.

Great Wheel - I was so glad this ride is on the bot now. The ride give fantastic views and it runs (with all sections loading) about 7 - 10 minutes long. I had a private car. The only thing about this ride that gets me is that it really needs a good paint job. There were quite a few rust spots on the shaft where my car was and the arms are showing brown patches.

"Good Breeze - Nice View - Long Ride - Needs Paint - FIVE FLAGS!”

NOTE: After the ride, I made a snide remark to the people who were pushing their modeling agency. They wanted fresh faces. Let’s have some fun. “Hello, I want to be a swimsuit model. Can you help me?” The girl didn’t miss a beat. “Well, keep dreaming.”

Parade: Out of respect to the person I met at the picnic area, I went to see the parade. It was very Disney-like, though not fully at that standard. They based it on the electrical parade, and the garbage cans along the route, now have loops on their tops to accommodate the ropes. These are attached by security at the start of the route and removed after the last float.

Many of the dancers were with 4 dummies, two on either side that were controlled by sticks. It was a nice effect, but I’ve seen it before. The super heroes marched together. Green Lantern high-fived me (and didn’t scratch me with his ring this time) and wonder women posed majestically, protecting herself with her bracelets from the electronic dragon. Batman was on his own float. There were the Wiggles group and then the Looney tunes. It was nice for what it was, but easily a few levels lower than Disney’s.

“Parade Decent - Not Great - Less dancers - More Ride Ops - Three Flags!”

Tea Cups - There has been a lot of talk about how this park is turning into a coaster park and less of an amusement park. There needs to be more rides like this at Great Adventure. This time around, there was a big discrepancy among the cups, as some would turn easily and fast, while others (mine included) were hard to turn. Here on my last ride of the night was the only ride op I didn’t like.

A good ride up is like an umpire, if you notice him too much, that’s not a good thing. This kid was constantly talking over the pa system and just making mouth noises. When he uttered the line, “I gotta take a piss,” I was angry. There were a lot of kids on that ride, and they didn’t have to hear about his over-active bladder.

Fireworks - Everyone was over at the lakefront area waiting for the big moment, which was supposed to be at 10. There was an MC who was trying to yuk it up for the crowd, but he was lame. He was mentioning the “Thrill Leaders” but most of the people couldn’t see them or hear him. He said it would start in about 5 minutes. (This was already 10:15.)

Finally a minute later - while he was in mid-speech a shell went up and off. And then nothing. Another minute later, the same thing. Then nothing. It was as if they were kids in an alley setting them off via one match at a time. I started walking out after the fifth launch. It took a while, but they finally caught their stride. I watched the finale over the superman lift hill from my car.

“Slow Start - No Bang - More Come - Big Bang - THREE FLAGS!”

Thoughts -

This park has come a long way, though it still needs a few things if it wants to be all to all. More family flats are needed. Add the water park to the admission (Dorney & Hershey should advertise directly against it, as water has proven to be very popular of late.)

The kids water area in Golden Kingdom closed early too. KEEP THE RIDES OPEN WHEN THE PARK OPENS - LET THEM STAY OPEN UNTIL IT CLOSES!

Since water is such a big draw, why in the world did they get rid of the watertown effect (Boat Soaker)? Dumb Move.

If they included a dining option like tonight’s barbeque, and threw in the waterpark and parking they could probably get $100 at the gate.

There were wristbands for certain food items. If you bought a $10 cotton candy, you could have it unlimited all day. That’s a lot for cotton candy, but there were quite a few bracelets being worn.

NOT ONE LINE JUMPER ALL DAY! (Some people were leaving lines for various reasons)

Richie Reflux

Lost Kause - - -> You make some very valid points! If the park was busy, the value of the gold bot would have been an even stronger value and a must instead of a luxury.

The limited time I did spend in line, mostly waiting for a front seat, was borderline-pleasant, so by quantity, I might have seen more cutting had I stayed in each que.

I did make an appearance at Guest Relations. Usually that line held the real entertainment...yelling, screaming and angry patrons with legitimate gripes against ineffective lambs that the company lead to the slaughter to deal with the onslaught. (I used to eat near the line to "take it all in.")

On July 4th, there was no significant line at Guest Relations. One guy in front of me wanted to buy the bar-be-que option (He did). Another wanted directions somewhere. I went to hand in the slip for the guy I caught being exceptional and to ask how long the water park would be open.

Gone was the yelling, threats, angst and anger of the last few years.

When I commit to go to a park, I assume the cost of my day (Especially if I go myself).

I don't consider myself a Great Adventure fanboy, as I can tell you what I don't like about the park...food/drink prices, obnoxious clientele, HUGE CROWDS, sick parking fees, rides that open late or close early, etc.

These things are the same things I care about in any park.

The main difference (for me) between Great Adventure and Cedar Point, aside from the fact that Great Adventure is 2.5 hours away) is that: Cedar Point doesn't have the gold bot, which I would pay up to 100 bucks to have there. What Cedar Point DOES have that Great Adventure is missing are a lot of flat rides that I don't have to wait too long for if I don't feel like waiting an hour for Millenium Force, Dragster, or Maverick. I could go on Troika, Calypso, the Swings, and several others, alone or with my son, who also does not like to wait for rides.

For what it's worth, my favorite park is Knoebels, which is a bit too long a drive for a one day shoot-n-scoot. It's hard for me to get over there and also to Hershey. Most of my trips are to GreatAdv., Dorney, Rye, and Adventureland.

arw84

Monday, July 7, 2008 6:31 PM

^Well, any 'coaster' enthusiast would like those specific coasters. The GP on the other hand may not be as interested in those particular rides as much as on the service and theming of a park as a whole. On that level, I still think SFGAm is doing fairly well. But that's my opinion after visiting there for the first time ever this year.

Rye.D.Ziner

Monday, July 7, 2008 10:47 PM

Fly Me To The Moon - There has been little discussion on the boards about how SpongeBob is no longer at Great Adventure. Instead, they have a new family-oriented motion ride, which stinks! I mean really stinks. SpongeBob was old already, but he’s still a hit with the kids and the motion to the cartoon was perfect. This was lame and had a dumb ending.

I've been meaning to warn people about that show - if the movie coming out this summer is half as bad, they should send it straight to DVD and save themselves the embarassment. The virtual ride makes poor use of the effects and second half of the show is beyond cheesy - even the littler kids in the audience near us were sneering about how stupid it was afterward. Definately not the right stuff for that place - put it in Mr. Roger's Neighborhood section of Idlewild since only small toddlers might get a smiley drool out of the whole experience

YoshiFan

Friday, July 11, 2008 9:12 PM

I'm surprised that happened at Skull Mountain. Usually the q-bot car is car 5 and they don't let people board it unless no one is using it.

I also agree about the late openings and early closing times. Around 6 rides were removed this year and the few rides left can't open on time like Medusa? All the kids areas close at 8 except Wiggles World and the rapids close at 9. *** Edited 7/12/2008 4:42:00 AM UTC by YoshiFan***

Richie Reflux

BullGuy

"If they included a dining option like tonight’s barbeque, and threw in the waterpark and parking they could probably get $100 at the gate"

This line here made me realize how ridiculous park visits have been getting in terms of cost. $100 is 1/5 of my White Sox split season ticket plan (27 games).

"Great America has clearly gone downhill beginning in 2006"

Sad, but true. I've haven't visited the place regularly for about two years, but have ended up at other Six Flags parks in it's stead. SFoG, SFKK, SFSTl, SFGAdv. Where once SFGAm was at the top of the list in terms of quality, every one of the afore-mentioned SF parks was a better experience. Not by a little either.